Patrick Jason Faber (born 21 March 1978) is a

Belize Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wa ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, ...

. He was the Leader of the Opposition. He formerly served as Minister of Education, Youth Sports and Culture. In July 2020 he was appointed the leader of the United Democratic Party, after Prime Minister

Dean Barrow Dean Oliver Barrow, SC PC (born March 2, 1951) is a politician from Belize who served as prime minister of Belize from 2008 until 2020 and as leader of Belize's United Democratic Party. An attorney by profession, Barrow served as Belize's ...

stated his plans to retire at the end of his term.

Early life and education

Faber was born in

Belize City, Belize Belize City is the largest city in Belize and was once the capital of the former British Honduras. According to the 2010 census, Belize City has a population of 57,169 people in 16,162 households. It is at the mouth of the Haulover Creek, whi ...

. He received a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

Economics Economics () is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics anal ...

in 1998 from

Valdosta State University Valdosta State University (VSU or Valdosta State) is a public university in Valdosta, Georgia. It is one of the four comprehensive universities in the University System of Georgia. , VSU had over 12,000 undergraduate and graduate students. VSU ...

Valdosta, Georgia Valdosta is a city in and the county seat of Lowndes County, Georgia, United States. As of 2019, Valdosta had an estimated population of 56,457. Valdosta is the principal city of the Valdosta Metropolitan Statistical Area, which in 2021 had ...

, as well as a

Master's A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in Educational Leadership from the

University of North Florida The University of North Florida (UNF) is a public research university in Jacksonville, Florida. It is part of the State University System of Florida and is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Sc ...

in 2003. He is currently working on a Doctor of Public Administration degree from

Political career

Faber has been a member of the United Democratic Party of Belize since he worked as a street campaigner at the age of 14. He has since served as youth director, member of the party's central executive, and candidate for the Belize City Council. In 2010, at the National Convention of the United Democratic Party, he was elected overwhelmingly to the role of Party Chairman. Faber is currently one of the youngest members of the Belizean House of Representatives. According to Belizean media, public confidence in Faber, the Ministry of Education and its restructuring has been positive. Consequently, Sir

Colville Young Sir Colville Norbert Young (born 20 November 1932) is a Belizean politician who served as the 2nd Governor-General of Belize. He is also a patron of the Scout Association of Belize. He was appointed as the Governor-General in 1993, taking offi ...

, the Governor General of Belize, entrusted Faber with also running the Ministry of Youth. Faber has even served occasionally as acting prime minister, being responsible for running the affairs of state when the Prime Minister and

Deputy Prime Minister A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, ...

are out of the country. Despite recent political difficulties, Faber will stand as a candidate for UDP party leader in a leadership convention set for 9 February 2020 to succeed the retiring Barrow. His opponent will be Minister of National Security, John Saldivar who is eyeing for the same position as him."John Briceño Says Ad Plays into Negative Sentiments on Faber Leadership"
''

Great Belize Television Great Belize Television, or as it is locally known, Channel 5, is a Belize City-based local television station established in December 1991. Channel 5 airs mostly American and Caribbean programs, as well as a variety of locally produced programs. ...

'', 16 May 2017. (accessed 21 May 2017)"PM Barrow gives timeline for departure"
''

Breaking Belize News Breaking Belize News, also known as BBN, is an online news outlet that provides breaking news on Belize, the Caribbean, and Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are def ...

'', 16 May 2018. (accessed 8 October 2018) On the other hand, Former

, Gaspar Vega has publicly indicated he would return to

Politics Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...

. He will contest for UDP Deputy Leader to succeed Faber, along with

Minister of Health A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare and other social security services. Some governments have separate ministers for mental health. Coun ...

Pablo Marin Paul Marin, also known as Pablo Marin, is a Belizean politician. He has represented the Corozal Bay constituency in the Belize House since 2008.

who is eyeing for the same position as him. Faber previously went against Saldivar in 2010 for Chairman of the UDP and 2016 for first Deputy Leader, winning both times. In July 2020, Faber was appointed as Leader of the UDP after Prime Minister

stated his plans to retire. In the November General Elections, his party suffered one of the largest losses in its history, losing 14 seats from 19 down to only 5.

Personal life

Faber has a

Fiance An engagement or betrothal is the period of time between the declaration of acceptance of a marriage proposal and the marriage itself (which is typically but not always commenced with a wedding). During this period, a couple is said to be ''fi ...

and has two sons and one daughter, Krischnxn (2005), Patrick Jr (2008) and Amani (2018). On 17 November 2017, Faber was a passenger in a

Cessna 208B Grand Caravan The Cessna 208 Caravan is a utility aircraft produced by Cessna. The project was commenced on November 20, 1981, and the prototype first flew on December 9, 1982. The production model was certified by the FAA in October 1984 and its Cargoma ...

aircraft of Tropic Air which struck a vehicle shortly after take-off from

Placencia Airport Placencia Airport is an airport that serves Placencia, Belize. It has a paved strip and crosses the peninsula from East to West.Punta Gorda Airport and subsequently ditched in the sea. All seven people on board survived.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Faber, Patrick 1978 births Living people People from Belize City United Democratic Party (Belize) politicians Government ministers of Belize Deputy Prime Ministers of Belize Members of the Belize House of Representatives for Collet University of North Florida alumni